Year 2025
27/12/25 16:03
A new house; a new ministry; a new chapter.
We moved into our new house on April 07. Built on our back lot. What a privilege to design your own house! I designed it for our needs, for our furniture, and for our new ministry. I think of it as a large cabin divided in two parts. The front half holds the living room, the dining room, and the kitchen. The back half serves as our bedroom, family room, and office. Plants, trees, and flowers line all four sides of the house, and the front door leads right into our covered patio. All this serves well for having people over for bible study, games, and meals. Couldn't ask for more.
So we've hosted numerous guests, bible studies, and visitors.
The new chapter is different. Faby's health is declining and we're pretty much restricted to our home. Many a Sunday, we wake up, get dressed for church, and Faby suddenly says, "My head hurts and I'm dizzy." And so we stay home. We've visited all the doctors you can think of with no results. So we leave everything in God's hands; pray daily for wisdom; and keep trying different remedies. There's no cure for memory loss, and we live one day at a time. I read, take online courses, do gardening, and keep the house in order.
On the side I use my gifts to serve the community. Security is a big issue, and I've managed to install six alarms and three cameras in our neighborhood so far. They named me "president" for doing all that. I can't do much else, but continue to pray for the day when our testimony bears fruit in our community.
Faby needs prayer and support! Thanks to all those who lift us up continually!
The Lord Has Come!
23/12/25 11:26
Was Jesus born in a stable? I'm reading the book "Jesus Through Middle Eastern Eyes" by Kenneth E. Bailey, who has lived in the Middle East most of his life. He argues that Jesus was born in a house and not in a stable. First of all, Joseph was from Bethlehem. He must have had friends and relatives there. Plus, in the Middle East, hospitality is well practiced and no one would turn away a pregnant woman! She didn't give birth the first night there, because Luke says, "While they were there, the time came for the baby to be born." When Luke says she "placed him in a manger," we think of a manger as being in a stable. But, Bailey argues, most houses were of one room, with a lower front for the animals, particularly a donkey. The manger lay between the animals and the rest of the house. In other words, the manger was inside the house! Finally, when Luke says, "there was no room for them in the inn," the word for "inn" refers to a guest room and not to a commercial hotel. The guest room was occupied, so they stayed in the main room of the house. Conclusion: Jesus was born in a normal house with friends and/or relatives. So much for our Christmas tradition of the stable! I recommend the book. Merry Christmas!
The next generation
17/12/25 11:09
They came to Quito for a concert, but they had to stop by for a visit. The youth are from "Cachisagua," a community we worked with for several years. Two are now living in Quito. Steve and Richard are brothers and their father is the pastor of the church in Cachisagua. He was one of my students in the seminary years ago, but we still hold a good friendship. We all enjoyed the visit and fellowship. Jefferson, who works in Quito as a mechanic, asked for my "puzzles." Youth always enjoy the challenge of solving them. Later they asked for songs, since they remember I play the accordion. Luis remembered the guitar lessons I gave him years ago in the community. I'm watching this next generation as they grow and mature.
Community witness
10/12/25 13:31
We had a burglar alert.
A neighbor called me to say: “Please activate the neighborhood alarm! There’s burglar in the street robbing the stores.” So I sound the alarm, grab a broom stick and a whistle and head out the door. I met a couple more neighbors on the street, but the burglar had already fled. Then I had my surprise. I walked over to the store where the burglar had first attacked and asked for more information. Then I asked, “By the way, what’s your name?” She answered, “You don’t remember me, but I remember you. You taught us English in the elementary school.” That was 37 years ago! Wow! She still remembers. Back in 1988, when Faby and I were the parents of 44 boys in an orphanage here in El Tingo, I volunteered to teach English in the school once a week. She remembers me. So we have sown some memories here in town. How I pray to continue our witness here in El Tingo!
Community Meetings
01/12/25 12:42
"Who's the guy on the ladder?" The message circulated on our neighborhood chat. The good part is that neighbors are alert to what's going on. The other part is that no everyone knows who I am, nor what I do. Another neighbor responded, "That's Alan Gordon. Our neighbor who keeps our security cameras and alarms up and running." We have a pretty good security system working, but I would like more contact with the neighbors. I praying for the right time to hold workshops on how to install the camera and alarms on the cell phones. Turns out, most people can handle Whatsapp, but not the applications for the cameras and alarmas. We have space for meetings at our home, but we don't have what i call "Assembly Power." That term refers to someone who calls a community meeting and lots of people show up. I need to work with folks who have that "power."